New Essential AMA: portrait mode, new Oreo beta and much more

The news of Andy Rubin’s leave for personal reasons, arriving yesterday unexpectedly, has triggered a series of questions among users, especially those who have purchased Essential Phone and are afraid of being abandoned.

The team, though without commenting on the situation with Andy Rubin, wanted to confirm that the Essential Phone PH-1 will continue to be supported and the software development will continue following the roadmap already in place. On the other hand Essential does not consist of a single person, so it would have been abnormal if all had gone rolling for a temporary leave.

So let’s see what’s new for the current model, without forgetting some little anticipation on the second-generation smartphone, which should be launched in mid-2018. A Playstation camera upgrade is now available, bringing portrait mode , better JPEG compression, and several stability improvements.

Next week will roll out the second beta based on Android 8.0 Oreo, with improvements to Bluetooth, overall autonomy and overall stability of the system. The team also confirms that the system will also be upgraded to Android 8.1 Oreo, which could be released without going through a beta version, which will almost certainly be used to test Android 9.0.

Essential is at work to solve scrolling problems and should also intervene to adjust the intensity of the vibration motor, which is considered too annoying. Shortly there will be both the charging dock, which must only be certified by the competent authorities, and the Stellar Gray version, which should be on the market by the end of the year.

Also aptX support for Bluetooth and problems with Android Auto should be resolved shortly and in the near future a front flash function will come. As for the second generation of Essential smartphones, it aims to create a device that can be repaired more easily and at a reasonable price, making it more appealing to potential buyers.